They began the day with a two-goal lead, and Oceláři Třinec made sure of their spot in the Champions Hockey League Semi-Finals with another two-goal win in Gävle, Sweden.

Třinec goalie Šimon Hrubec has been one of the big stories of the CHL this season and he was the story of the first period in Gävle, stopping all 15 shots he faced. After foiling Jesper Boqvist on a shorthanded breakaway midway through the frame, Tomáš Marcinko opened the scoring for Třinec with a high wrister shortly after the power play ended. Late in the period, two Třinec penalties gave Brynäs an extended 5-on-3 power play, but Hrubec made two more big saves.

When Jakub Petružalek gave Třinec a four-goal aggregate lead five minutes into the second period, it looked like Brynäs would need a miracle to advance. They didn’t get a miracle, but they didn’t give up, either. Alexander Bjurström’s nice wrister just shy of the game’s midpoint brought them to within three, but they would come no closer. In fact, twice more Třinec would score and twice more Brynäs would answer.

When Milan Mikulík scored on a breakaway with just 20 seconds to play, any shred of doubt about Třinec’s victory disappeared. They won the game 5-3 and the aggregate score 8-4 to advance.